The Cheat
by SidSky
Summary: It's Cadet Kirk's turn to take the Kobayashi Maru, and it's not what he expected. At all. And he's not happy about it. (Aka my take on how Tarsus IV might've factored into Jim's decision to take the Kobayashi Maru not once, not twice, but three times. Based on a bit of character study I started for Safe, and takes place earlier in that same version of the Trek verse.) Also on AO3.


I do not own Star Trek. I'm just having some fun with character studies. Please don't sue.

* * *

Playing by the rules was hard, but Jim Kirk was getting used to it.

"We don't allow food in here, Cadet."

...Even if they were annoying.

"Sorry, Professor." Jim ducked back out of the training bridge; dropped his uneaten apple back into his messenger bag; came back in. At least he'd _tried_ to eat lunch. That was something Bones couldn't scold him for, right?

...Though given the unimpressed look Bones was giving him his seat at the mock–Tactical chair, it hadn't exactly given Jim brownie points either.

But it was almost dinner time anyway...so maybe he could just pretend the apple had been a snack. Or––

"Cadet Kirk," Professor Trevor looked down at him from the glass-enclosed observation deck above the 'bridge.' "You are about to take the Kobayashi Maru: the successful navigation of which will complete your command-track simulation requirements. Are you ready to proceed?"

Right. Focus.

"I am," Jim acknowledged. He had no idea what to expect, but he was pretty good at simulations, so he wasn't too worried.

"Alright then," Professor Trevor pressed a button; the observation deck darkened. "Captain Kirk: your time starts now. Good luck."

Jim nodded; took a breath; settled into the command chair as he waited for something to happen.

As often was the case in the other simulations Jim'd been through that year, Cadet 'No-First-Name' Uhura kicked things off.

"Captain, we're receiving a distress signal from a civilian vessel called the Kobayashi Maru," Uhura told from her post at communications. "We're the only ship within range."

Jim fought back a wince.

The solo-ship simulations were always hairer than the ones where they were working as part of an armada. Not that they couldn't run into trouble in an armada, but it usually meant he could count on a little backup in the thick of a fight.

But maybe he was getting ahead of himself. Maybe this wasn't even a combat mission.

Only one way to find out.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Jim nodded to her; then turned to the Trill positioned at the helm. "Ensign, please take us to the Kobayashi Maru's coordinates. Maximum warp."

"Aye, Captain."

...Jim really did think 'Captain' had a nice ring to it. He knew it'd still take him years to get there, but he was hopeful. After all, so far he was winning his bet with Pike about graduating early.

The viewscreen streaked with stars; Jim ticked another box off his mental simulation check-list; moved onto the next one.

"Engineering, how are our engines holding up?"

"We are operating at maximum efficiency," Cadet Burke called out. "All systems normal."

Good. Good place to start.

Sometimes the simulations started them with their shields already half depleted, or a hull breach, or who the hell knew-what-else that they'd have to deal with in the middle of the simulation.

"And Tactical? How are our weapons holding looking? We don't know what we're jumping into here."

"Phaser banks are fully-charged, and we have a full compliment of photon torpedoes," Bones replied. "Do ya think we should go on red alert?"

"Make it yellow for now," Jim decided. "No need to stress the crew out."

A fact he'd learned after watching his friend Gary so to red alert repeatedly in the guy's first-ever simulation...He'd ended up causing a digital 'mutiny' in engineering for putting his 'crew' on edge so many times. That had definitely sunk the lesson home.

"Aye, Captain," Bones tapped his screen; the bridge's lights took on a yellow hue. "Yellow alert enabled. All tactical equipment is set to 'standby.'"

"Thank you B––Lieutenant Commander." He'd have to watch that… "Helm, how much longer till we reach the Kobayashi Maru?"

"We're dropping out of warp now, Captain."

The streaks of light on the viewscreen began to shorten; solidify.

"Alright," Jim tamped down his nerves. "Here we go."

"I'm detecting one ship twenty degrees starboard," Bones told him. "The hull reads: Kobayashi Maru."

So not a search-and-rescue operation then.

"Onscreen," Jim ordered; a listing, battle-scorched wreck of a ship appeared on the bridge's main viewscreen. "Lieutenant Uhura: open a channel to––"

"They're already hailing us," Uhura interrupted. "The Kobayashi Maru's comm officer is saying...they're saying to _run_, Captain!"

Wait, what?

Before he could ask for clarification, Jim saw three new shapes blip up on the viewscreen.

"Captain, three Klingon warbirds just decloaked dead ahead!" Bones called out. "They're charging weapons."

...Crap.

Those were sucky odds. Still doable...but sucky.

Okay. By the book. Try diplomacy first.

"Shields up; red alert," Jim began; the bridge's lights shifted; the alarm sounded. "Uhura, open a channel to the Klingon ships. Let's see if we can talk this out."

"Working...Channel open."

So hailing them was an option.

Good.

He liked the diplomatic simulations. They could be a lot of fun.

"Klingon vessels," Jim hailed. "This is the U.S.S. Curiosity. We mean you no harm. Are you aware you have entered Federation space? Please power down your weapons, and identify your intent––"

The Klingons opened fire. Two on them; one on the Kobayashi Maru.

...Well their intent was pretty clear, wasn't it?

So this _was_ a combat test.

Jim could do that too. Just outmaneuver three Klingon warbirds long enough to blow them out of the sky, and save the crew of the Kobayashi Maru. They'd done simulations like this before; it couldn't be too different this time arou––

The bridge shook.

"They just took out a quarter of our forward phaser banks!" Bones called over. "Shields holding at eighty percent."

...Starting with a bit of a disadvantage, but they could still do it. They wouldn't set him up to––

"The Klingons are jamming subspace communications," Uhura called out. "I've still got a faint signal from the Kobayashi Maru, but I can't call for reinforcements."

Well, of course not. Wouldn't be much of a test if the calvary showed up, would it?

"Keep in contact with them, Uhura," Jim ordered. "See if they have any intel on those warbirds that can help us."

A little trick that'd helped him in past simulations. Never knew what 'readings' the other ship would report back.

"Aye, Captain." Uhura repeated Jim's question into her comm.

"Burke," Jim called over to his 'chief engineer.' "Take ten percent off ship's gravity, and divide the energy between shields and the remaining phaser banks. See if we can't shore things up a bit. Helm, start evasive maneuvers, and Tactical: lock onto the Klingon warbirds attacking us, and target their shield generators. Firing pattern Alpha-Twelve."

They all got to work, frantically tapping their screens and hitting their buttons. In that moment, Jim had a breath to observe the room; he couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself.

This test really was about his tactical skills, wasn't it? Seeing that he could keep it together, and guide his crew through what was clearly going to be a hairy battle. That had to be––

"They've taken multiple direct hits," Bones reported. "Their shields are down to…"

Jim frowned. "What is it?"

"The two attacking us recloaked. I've lost them."

Jim blinked. "But I thought they could only cloak if they dropped their shields first?"

"Yeah, well it looks like these ships've had some upgrades." The last visible warbird fired at them; the bridge shook; Bones cringed. "And shields are now at seventy-five percent."

...Okay. That was bad.

But still doable.

"Then we'll have to play a bit of whack-a-mole until they show up again," Jim decided. "Run a full-phaser spread. Lock onto any area where the phasers seem to hit something...Just be sure not to hit the Kobayashi Maru."

"Not plannin' on it," Bones grumbled as he tapped his controls. "But you know I'm a doctor, not a marksmen!"

Jim suppressed an eyeroll. His friend liked playing that card a lot, but now wasn't the time.

"Uhura, anything?"

"The Kobayashi Maru's comm officer's dead; their captain say their shields are down to ten percent. Nothing else."

So no help there.

How was he supposed to fight an enemy he couldn't even see––

The bridge shook harder.

"They've decloaked!" Bones called out. "They're sittin' right in the blind spot they made in our phasers with their first hit; they've already taken out another eighth of 'em. Shields at sixty percent."

Great. Just great.

"Helm, get us turned so Tactical can actually hit something," Jim commanded. "Evasive pattern Delta-Nine. Bones, throw a photon torpedo at them; see if we can blind their sensors long enough to dodge out of their firing range."

"Captain," the Trill operating Helm controls––_man_, Jim wished he could remember their name––chimed in. "I'm not sure how long I can keep up a dodge like that. If we _do_ break free, then it might be our only chance to make a run for it––"

"No!" Were they kidding? "We're not giving up on on the Kobayashi Maru to save our own skin! We can do this! We can still save them! Continue evasive maneuvers; Bones, try to target the neck of the closest Bird of Prey. If we can just disable _one_ of their ships––"

The bridge shook hard enough to throw Jim to the floor.

"Direct hit!" Bones yelled. "We've got plasma venting in decks four through eight! Shields down to thirty percent!"

"Captain, the Kobayashi Maru's comm signal just cut out," Uhura's voice was grim. "I think they've lost their bridge."

...No.

Jim gritted his teeth.

Focus on his ship first. He had to keep the Curiosity crew alive, or they'd be of no use to the survivors on the Kobayashi Maru.

"Keep firing," Jim pushed himself to his feet; back into the chair. "Burke, seal off the areas affected by the plasma breach. Uhura, have security and medical send any available personnel to help evacuate the affected areas. Can we divert any more power to the shields?"

"We're already working off our reserves," Burke told him. "And that last hit almost knocked our starboard warp nassel out of alignment. If it goes offline––"

Another shake of the bridge. One big enough to knock not only Jim right back on his ass, but the rest of the bridge crew too.

"Report!" Jim groaned out as he dragged himself back into his chair.

"The Kobayashi Maru's broken apart." Uhura made it back to her consol first. "I'm not picking up lifesigns anymore."

Jim felt sick.

...He'd lost them. He'd lost the entire––

"Shields at fifteen percent and dropping," Bones gritted out. "The third Klingon ship's turned away from the Kobayashi Maru again, and is joining its friends in gunning for us."

"And the starboard nassel's been blown off!" Burke shouted from a sparking control panel. "We can't go to warp, and––"

"And the sudden change in current is threatening to overload the warp core," Jim finished for him.

He knew how that worked.

They had minutes, at most, and then if engineering couldn't reroute enough of the power, they'd have a core breach, and then…

Wait, could that work?

...Well, it wasn't like they had to worry about protecting the Kobayashi Maru's crew anymore. Now this was only about their survival.

"Burke, prepare to eject the warp core," Jim ordered. "On my mark, we're going to launch it into the middle of the Klingon ships. That should be more than enough to take them out."

"And us too!" Bones exclaimed. "Our shields are only at ten percent now! If we blow that core––"

"It's our only shot," Jim said firmly. "As soon as the core clears the ship, divert all power except minimum life support to thrusters and shields. If we're lucky, we might be able to ride the shockwave––"

One more tremendous shake.

A roaring sound.

The lights on the bridge flashed painfully bright.

...And then the viewscreen went blank; the room went dark.

Jim froze.

What...what had just––

The lights came back up.

...The normal classroom lights.

No flashing reds, or sparking control panels.

The lights in the observation deck flashed back on.

Professor Trevor glanced down at him; typed something onto his PADD; pressed the comm button.

"Thank you, Cadet Kirk. You're dismissed for the remainder of the day. Please clear the bridge so we can reset."

Wait...What?

Did...did that mean it was over?

Did that mean...

"We died?" Jim croaked.

"Kinda happens when three Klingon warbirds all aim for engineering at the same time." Bones explained. "They switched targets, and 'fore I had a chance ta open my mouth...we were gone."

Jim's stomach sank.

He'd...failed. He'd really failed…

Oh god, this was supposed to be the biggest test in the Command track, and he _failed_!

What had he been thinking, wasting time trying to eject the warp core? Of course that wasn't going to work! And it distracted Bones when they needed...

Man, he really was too reckless, wasn't he?

To cocky.

He'd missed big flashing warning signs that this was going to end badly.

And now, his ship was gone.

And the Kobayashi Maru was gone.

...He'd gotten everyone killed.

He felt sick...and...small.

And he didn't deserve to ever be a captain if he couldn't even protect his crew, did he?

...Wait, was _that it?_ Was this test how they weeded out command-track cadets, and sent them packing without having to grade a final round of essays?

No. They wouldn't waste their time like that. It might be the end of his ambitions of being a captain someday, but he could still be a fantastic science officer, or an engineer, or...

...There had to be something he could do to prove he was still right for the command track. What had he missed in the simulation? What could he do differently––

"Kid, it's okay," Bones' hand on his shoulder startled Jim out of his spiral. "Ya did good."

He stared at his friend, jaw dropping open. "_Good_? We all died!"

"And you kept a cool head about it," Professor Trevor commed in again from the observation deck. "Not a bad showing."

Jim snapped his mouth closed; gritted his teeth. Apparently Professor Trevor had a great poker face. Almost seemed like he wasn't mocking him...Almost.

...Or maybe the test wasn't testing what he thought it was testing?

Fighting for the hope that he wasn't about to be sent packing, Jim looked around at his classmates. They'd all taken the test already: it was one of the requirements to crew the simulation. If he'd really just bombed the biggest final the Academy had to offer, surely they'd all know it; they'd all be staring at him with pity, or disappointment, or…

But they weren't.

No one looked disappointed in him. Or sad for him. Most of them just looked bored. And when he caught Cadet Uhura's eye, she smirked; gave him a shrug.

"So...you're saying I _passed_?" Jim asked suspiciously. It definitely hadn't _felt_ like a win, what with blowing up and everything, but at this point, he really wasn't sure what they were testing for, so maybe––

"It's a bit more complicated than that." Professor Trevor's eyes shifted to Bones. "Doctor, we have thirty more cadets to get through today, and we really need to reset. Would you mind explaining it to him anywhere but here?"

"Yeah, I've got 'em." Bones agreed.

"Explain what?" Jim demanded. He hated being kept in the dark, and he really hated being corralled out the door without knowing what the hell he'd just been 'tested' on!

"Thank you, Cadet McCoy," Trevor seemed to ignore Jim's outburst. "Then you're dismissed as well. I'll see you both in class on Wednesday––"

"What's the point?" Jim challenged. "Come on Professor, don't keep me in limbo: if you're gonna flunk me out of the command track three months before graduation, tell me now. I need to get my transfer orders ready––"

"Kid, I promise you they're not kicking ya out," Bones gave Professor Trevor an apologetic waive; then gently but forcefully dragged Jim out the door. "Stop makin' a scene, and I'll explain over pizza."

* * *

"So _everyone fails?!_"

Jim waited for his friend to correct him, but Bones just took another bite of pepperoni and mushroom; leaned back on the sofa in their dorm's shared living room; gave him a small nod.

"But that's ridiculous!" Jim balked. "Who in their right mind would design a test that's unwinnable?"

"Turns out, Starfleet Academy," Bones said after he swallowed the bite; took a sip of coffee. "I'm still not sure what they're testin' for with it, but I've crewed at least a couple dozen of these simulations now, and I haven't seen one single person find a way to win––"

"But you haven't crewed every simulation, right?" Jim pounced on that. "So there could be a way; you just haven't seen it work––"

"Well, Professor Trevor used the term 'no-win scenario' when he explained it to me, so––"

"And why'd you get a full explanation, while I just got dragged out the door?"

"Because he actually had _time_ to explain, because I took it _early_ ta keep it far as away from my medical finals as physically possible," Bones shrugged. "A bunch of professors came in ta crew the thing for me, Uhura, and a couple other early birds 'till there were enough of us who'd gone through it ta take over their part of the simulation. And I've gotta admit: when you're not in the hot seat, the acting part's kinda fun."

...Oh.

Well, Jim _had_ waited to sign up so he'd have more time to study his past simulations...for all the good it did. He could understand how Trevor might be crammed now...

"I guess I can see that," Jim admitted; huffed. "You know, you're really not a bad tactical officer––"

"Doesn't mean I _like_ it," Bones rolled his eyes. "But if it makes ya feel better ta hear me admit it: you were right 'bout crammin' the damn command track simulations inta my schedule. I've got a real shot now of bein' assigned Second Medical officer right off the bat. The less people I have ta take orders from, the more bearable my time in whatever tin can we end up on will be."

Well, that was good at least.

"It won't be that bad," Jim smirked. "I bet after our first year out there, you'll start to love it!"

"Keep sayin' that, and maybe I'll even start ta believe it." Bones grumbled; pointed to the barely-touched slice of pizza on Jim's plate. "Now eat your damn food. I know you skipped lunch."

"Alright, alright, _Doctor_. I'm eating, see?"

Jim was too distracted to really feel hungry, and the pizza was getting cold fast, but he forced himself to take another bite. After all, it got some new flavors as it cooled down...And despite what Bones probably thought, Jim knew he shouldn't take good food for granted.

But even pizza could only distract him for so long.

"There has to be more to it," Jim continued after half his slice was gone. "_Nobody_ can account for all the variables in a fight. There's gotta be some way to save the crew of the Kobayashi Maru that nobody's tried. What if we'd kept trying to negotiate a––"

"Uhura tried it," Bones cut in. "After they started firing on us, she hailed the Klingons again. In Klingon. Tried to broker a cease-fire. We blew up in half the time of your round."

...Oh.

Well, negotiation was supposed to be a Captain's first instinct anyway. If the test was really designed like Bones said, of course negotiation didn't…

No. There _had_ to be something more!

"But isn't that a little insulting to the Klingons?" Jim challenged. "I mean, that scenario stereotypes all Klingons as warmongers, but we signed the Treaty of the Binary Stars nearly two years ago. If we could do that, then there _have_ to be some Klingons willing to negotiate, right?"

"Well yeah of course there are, but in the _simulation_, the Klingons had a whole trap set," Bones pointed out. "They weren't lookin' ta negotiate. They were lookin' for a bloodbath."

...That was true.

"But _why_ did they set the trap?" Jim asked. "I thought Klingons had a whole Honor thing going: how honorable is it to intentionally break a treaty? Or dangle a _civilian ship _as _bait_? There has to be something going on in the scenario that I just didn't pick up on; that _nobody's_ picked up on. If I just take it one more time, maybe I can figure out––"

"Are you outta your mind?" Bones gaped. "Jim, _nobody_ takes the Kobayashi Maru a second time. Look, if ya really wanna learn more about it, then sign up to crew the simulations. It'll give you all the chances you want to study how it works, and it'll let some of us who took it early finally be able ta _stop_ runnin' it. Plus, the initiative'll look pretty good on your record––"

"I don't care about my record," Jim groaned. "It's the principle of the thing! This isn't _right_, Bones! If nobody can win it, then what's the point? A toddler can _lose_, but a fully-trained captain should be able to come up with–with something! What if I'd _had_ time to eject the warp core? Or if I'd started evasive maneuvers the moment the warbirds decloaked, instead of waiting for them to wipe out a quarter of our weapons? Or what if we surrendered, and then the test switched into a prison-break scenario? What if––"

"You can keep it up with your 'what if's' 'till you're blue in the face, but it still doesn't mean you can beat the thing," Bones sighed. "Look, Jim, I know how hard ya try to find silver linings, but there's not one here. The Kobayashi Maru is _supposed_ ta be a worst-case scenario. No way out. No rescue. No winning. No survivors. It doesn't matter what you do. It's just...The End. Like it or not, sometimes there's no hope. Sometimes you just have to accept that you've lost, and..."

Jim wasn't listening anymore.

He...he couldn't...

...No way out.

No rescue…No hope…No sur...

Just... _Just…_

A memory screeched to the surface of his mind. One he desperately wanted to keep buried.

_A long catwalk, overlooking a crowded powerplant. _

_A balding man standing on a platform, surrounded by armed guards._

_Forcefields coming up; penning in everyone below. Forcing them towards the...the antimatter chamber._

_Three starving kids, watching from the catwalk, frozen in horror._

_A slammed hatch._

_An unwavering voice boomed above the screams._

"––_Your lives mean slow death to the more valued members of the colony. Therefore, I have no alternative but to sentence you to death. Your execution is so ordered…"_

_Then...a flipped switch._

_...And silence._

_...There was nothing they could do. No way to stop it. No way to––_

"Jim? _Jim!_ You okay?"

A hand waived an inch from Jim's eyes.

He flinched; blinked; remembered where he was.

Bones was giving him a concerned look.

...Shit. How long had he been out of it?

What has his face given away?

He wasn't ready for that talk. After almost three years, he was pretty sure Bones could handle it, especially since the guy'd gotten drunk and spilled his own deep dark secret within the first _year_ of their friendship…But it wasn't like they'd talked about Leonard's dad once they'd sobered up. And they'd had so much to drink that night, Jim wasn't even sure Bones remembered telling him...

And besides, they didn't have time for a conversation as...heavy...as Tarsus IV would be. Jim had to get to bed early so he'd be alert for flight training, and Bones was staring down a double-shift in medical.

If he broke down, he's screw them both over.

"I'm fine," Jim lied instead. "I just don't like the concept of this _'test_.' If you're right, then this whole Kobayashi Maru thing is...it's _cheating_. It's _forcing_ cadets to give up hope, and for what? How can losing hope _possibly_ be a good thing for a commander?"

Bones leaned across the table. "Look Jim: there's a reason they schedule the Kobayashi Maru's starting months before the rest of the finals. It's somethin' you're supposed ta process, not rehash a thousand times––"

"But it's not _fair––_"

"Yeah, well sometimes that's _life_." Bones cringed. "I'm sorry, Jim. I really wish it wasn't. I wish there was always some secret way ta come out on top...but there's not. That's somethin' I had hammered inta me back in med school...and a lotta times since, well before I took the damn simulation. No matter how smart you are; no matter how hard you work, or however many different techniques you try...there's still some people ya just can't fix...and some battles you just can't win."

...He knew why Bones thought that...even if his friend didn't remember that he knew. And he...he couldn't blame him.

But this was different.

This _'test'_ was _literally_ teaching _helplessness_.

How many of the cadets who took the Kobayashi Maru would end up in a seemingly-hopeless real-life scenario? How many would just give up, because the situation seemed impossible?

...And how many would use it to justify an atrocity, because they were taught to be too cynical to hold out hope for an alternative? Hell, if _Kodos_ had just waited a _few more days_, the supply ships could've saved _everyone_! If he just hadn't given up hope...

That settled it.

If the Kobayashi Maru was really a no-win scenario, then the test needed to be redesigned, or abandoned altogether. It was flawed at its core.

Because there was no thing as a no-win scenario. There was _always_ hope.

"I'll talk to Pike tomorrow," Jim decided. "See what he thinks. If he gives the go-ahead, then Professor Trevor will have to let me take it again."

"Do what ya want kid," Bones sighed. "But if he does let ya take it again, let me know. I'll sign up for another round of crewin' the damn thing. 'Least that way, you'll know ya've got at least one person rootin' for you."

...Oh thank god. He hadn't realized how much he needed the support, but he _definitely_ did.

Masking his relief, Jim smirked. "So you think I can beat it?"

"Well, no," Bones rolled his eyes; huffed. "But if anyone's stubborn enough ta figure out how, it's you. And if ya _do_ manage ta give whoever designed that damn test an aneurysm, I wanna be there ta see it...and ta treat 'em."

That made Jim snort. He couldn't imagine what kind of person would agree to design a test like that, but he doubted they'd care enough to come see him take it. They'd probably thrown the whole thing together in a weekend anyway.

Well, maybe not a weekend. If the Kobayashi Maru really could anticipate any move that could be made in that situation, then that would've taken awhile to figure out.

...Man, the more he thought about it, the more Jim wanted to take a peek at that coding. If it was as intricate as he thought, then it had to've had a few bugs. Maybe if he could just _glitch_ it…

No. He'd fight fair.

...This time.

But maybe he'd sneak a data chip in with him. Then, if the thing really _was_ unwinnable, he'd have a great place to start on his _third_ runthrough.

He'd need help if he went that route; he knew a certain Orion cadet who might get a kick out of a well-timed protest...as long as he kept her name out of it.

Hacking Starfleet Academy's cheat of a test could get anyone he dragged into it in a lot of trouble. So if he did have to go that route, he'd make sure it looked like he'd acted alone.

Hopefully he wouldn't have to. Hopefully the test actually did have a scenario that would let a determined cadet _win_.

But either way, Jim wasn't going to stand by while class after class of cadets were taught that _hopelessness_ was a_ command trait_.

That was pure bullshit, and he'd prove it.

Even if he had to rewrite the damn Kobayashi Maru himself.


End file.
